Nutshells and Niblets Community Bulletin #35

Nutshells and Niblets Community Bulletin # 36 May June!

Vivian's highjacked, highly biased, and totally unedited version of Ann's Newsletter.

Yep.  This is me! The nasty kidnapper of Nutshells!

Summer kids helping with Paul and Julia's  chicken coop

May was too busy here to write about.  Like summer camp really.  People are out planting gardens and finishing yards.  Everywhere you look there is a gathering of people chatting about a new garden plant, or shovelling sand together for a children's play area.  Three neighbours have hung hammocks. The children can be heard giggling as they lounge for hours until finally a dad comes by to claim the lazy spot for himself.  Almost nightly, someone starts a fire and random families wonder out with roasting stick and marshmallows.  From here I can see two children bouncing on the trampoline.  I hear the distant sound of a busy weed wacker.  My empty nested neighbours walk arm in arm up the path.  I know their daughter is getting married in June.  How did June come so fast?  Being here has a specialness to it.  You feel it right away. If you haven't come before- Come now!  If it has been awhile... well wait till you hear what we have in store for you this August!  (Read on!)

June 23 Cohousing Conference Presentation and PotLuck Kick Off!

Yours truly and Natalie will be going to California (without my wonderful children!) for the cohousing conference.  We'll be (partying) seriously engaging with other cohousers including tours of several finished projects.  I intend to take glorious pictures of some of Chuck's finished units so we can finally put to rest this whole flooring issue.  On June 23rd we'll be showing off our finds with neighbours in waiting... making the final decisions about the flooring and other little details.  All welcome.  RSVP at welcome@yarrowecovillage.ca  

Bye Bye Bunker Silo Blues

Tonight I walked in to my daughter's room.  She was sobbing into her pillow.  She was upset to know the bunker silo is going to be knocked down.  Yes.  The community has set the date June 20th to have everything out of the barn and July 1 is the date the demolition of our dear bunker silo commences.  Is excsading a word?  Exciting to make room for the new homes yet sad to see such a part of our community go?  We've had so many meetings, dinners, and BBQ in that space.  It has sheltered us from sun, and rain.  My sone learned to ride a two wheeler in that barn.  It was my only kitchen the month of August last year when I stayed in the tent trailer.  Okay.  A common house will feel much warmer for dark winter dinners- but there is something so permanent about bringing down the bunker silo.  It marks the official beginning of the end of the development of Groundswell Cohousing.  In a funny way it feels like the beginning of the end of all the fun.  Yes, developing a neighbourhood is work.  Goodness knows we deserve the common house and our beautiful new neighbourhood.  I wonder how often we'll look back and miss "the good old days".  Should we have a bunker silo memories party?  

Last year's camping trip... just outside the bunker silo!

10 Year Anniversary Camping Weekend August 3-5 Calling all stories, pictures, and volunteers from days past!

Yes.  Ten years since we bought the land.  Thousands of volunteer hours.  People have come and gone that I only know legends of.  All of you- no matter if you will ever live here or not- are invited back for a weekend of revelry.  Bring pictures, tents, and beverages.  It will be an amazing weekend.  (I'll let you know more once we figure out what to do for a space to hold it... see?  missing that bunker silo now aren't you!)

Bioengeneering Project taking root!

Okay.  It isn't a very good pun because that is exactly what this is a picture of.  Back in February a group of diligent volunteers worked for a solid rain filled weekend to weave willow sticks into the eroding bank of our creek.  As promised, the willow branches have started to bloom and soon we'll have a bank of willows protecting our creek.  Much better than the blackberries that were overtaking the whole area when I first toured the village two years ago!

Nevin prepares greens for CSA

CSA (community supported agriculture) baskets this coming week!

This is how I garden now.  I pay 20.00 per week and pick up an amazing basket full of the freshest veggies grown right here on the organic farm.  Of course I still throw some seeds in the ground myself- but the pressure to perform is off!  Interested?  I think they might be able to squeeze in a couple more baskets.  Check with Shauna at yecfarm (att) gmail.com (darn spam bots!)

Welcome Peter... Welcome Paul! (please don't fly away!)

Paul is renting in the Quad.  He is a quiet fellow.  Always pleasant.  Always helpful.  He held a welcome ceremony for the salmon who returned to our creek.  He involved the children and really made us take time to slow down and honour how special it is to have the salmon back in our creek.  I appreciate Paul for this soft awareness.  I move so quickly around here from project to project.  It is good to have people here to slow us down.  To let us see the glory in what we're so busy doing here.  I look forward to more chances like this one to slow down.

Peter came to Groundswell because of Ingrid's study group. He's buying the 2 bedroom unit directly below Devorah and David who also came through the study group.  He is also a quieter fellow, however I'm told to watch out for blaring music on Sundays (Opera) from his home.  I suppose I can put up with that for all the weed wacking I know he'll do while he's here!  He used to be a gardener you see... so he has all the cool toys!  Although I warn you that Peter will never mow.  He'll weed wack, but his mowing days are over!  And so wonderful that he's found a place to call home where his never mow again dream can actually come true!

There are some more new people I can't wait to tell you about. (Hi guys!) I don't want to jinx things, so the official welcomes to the next new families will have to wait.  I just have to tell you how excited I am to know all the cool people working their way to come here. I heard a fantastic quote the other day about cohousing.  Someone on a tour said, "I always dreamed about living like this only the faces of my neighbours were invisible."  Now that I'm starting to see the final families come in I can tell you that the faces I see fit right in!  What I great place to live this is going to be!


That's it!  Happy Last Month till Summer!

Seniors Cohousing Letter to the Editor

I'm pretty proud of this letter to the editor.  It is in response to an article telling people to educate themselves about the choices for their seniors loved ones.  I wrote this and was published withine hours of writing it!

Dear Editor,

I would like to respond to an article you published, headlined “Making the right choices, the costs of seniors’ care.”

A friend has sent me a clipping of this article in relation to work I am currently doing in the area.

This article is advocating that people educate themselves thoroughly on behalf of their senior loved ones.

The article seems to suggest doing this education once the individual involved has already lost some degree of ability.

Of course, this is important. We all want to take care of our loved ones.

But what about taking care of and educating ourselves before we come to the place of need?

Studies show that by making changes when we are in our 60s and even in our 50s, it goes a long way to increasing quality of life and the ability to age in place successfully.

Downsizing while you have the energy to do so, finding a community to age with and consciously deciding how the next 20 years will play out can possibly add 10 years to your life,

It will definitely increase the quality of life as we age.

We are offering a 10-week study group for people who are seriously considering making proactive changes in their lifestyle, before they lose whichever capacity might fail them first.

The problem we find is that while people are willing to consider their senior loved ones as they age, there seems to be a genuine resistance to considering our own needs in time to ward off extended care needs down the road.

I seriously urge your readers who are beyond the young age of 50 to take time to educate and plan for their own aging.  While looking at such depressing subjects feels awkward when we feel fit, now is the time to do it.

Our aging in place study group is geared towards 50- to 65-year-olds who are interested in downsizing and working with others to design their own future residence.

By joining peers and going through this developer-assisted process, one assures oneself the ability to stay “young at heart” longer through a supportive community.

I’d love an opportunity to share our process with readers. I can be contacted via email at welcome@yarrowecovillage.ca

Vivian Vaillant